Chapter 391

“Everyone, calm down. Stop arguing.”

The moment Lionel spoke, the room fell silent.

With his commanding presence, few people dared to meet Lionel’s gaze.

Effie slipped out from her hiding spot in the corner and walked over to Mrs. McKenzie. “Thank you, Mrs. McKenzie.”

Mrs. McKenzie waved her hand dismissively. “No need to thank me. This was all my fault to begin with. If I hadn’t dragged you along to watch the commotion, you wouldn’t have been caught up in it.”

Effie smiled. “Still, thank you for standing up for me even if it doesn’t bother me anymore.”

Mrs. McKenzie seemed to realize something and replied, “If you’re not bothered anymore, that’s good. I’m glad.”

“It’s getting late. I’ll come visit again another time,” Effie said with a smile.

“Don’t forget to bring your gift home,” Mrs. McKenzie reminded her.

“I won’t.”

Effie brought the gift Mrs. McKenzie had prepared back home and finally opened it there.

Curious, Lyman wandered over. “What is it? It smells amazing-I could catch the scent from down the hall.”

Effie opened the box. “It’s a wedding gift from an old friend. She always said that when I got married, she’d give me a big present.”

Lyman peered inside. “Is that Zenith Aroma incense?”

Effie grinned. “I see you know your stuff.”

Inside were several rare, discontinued incenses, each with its own unique name. When you lined up the first letter of each name, it spelled out: “Happy wedding, may your love last a lifetime.”

“That’s a really thoughtful gift,” Lyman said, genuinely impressed.

Even he had to admit, this was a gift chosen with real care.

Effie looked delighted, unable to hide how much she loved it. “It’s perfect.”

Just then, her grandmother walked in and caught sight of the gift in Effie’s hands. “She gave that to you?” her grandmother asked.

A flicker of awkwardness passed through Effie’s eyes. She nodded. “Yes, Mrs. McKenzie gave it to me.”

“She really is thoughtful,” her grandmother said softly.

Effie looked at her, hesitant. “Grandma…”

Her grandmother waved away her concerns. “Oh, don’t fret, sweetheart. I’m fine- really.”

“I never minded any of it. Your grandfather’s heart always belonged to me,” she added with a gentle smile.

Effie laughed. “Of course! Who could resist Grandma’s charm?”

A blush crept up her grandmother’s cheeks. She waved her hand, a little embarrassed. “Alright, that’s enough.

You’re going to make me blush.”

Effie couldn’t help but laugh at how adorable her grandmother was.

She took a moment to explain the

meaning behind the gift, and hernet

grandmother nodded in

appreciation. “Truly, she put a lot of thought into this.”

“Grandma, I’m hungry. What’s for dinner?” Effie asked, putting on her best puppy- dog eyes.

Her grandmother smiled. “I made a real feast tonight.”

“A feast?” Effie grinned. “Seems like everything you make is a feast.”

“Well, it’s all delicious, that’s for sure.”

Effie hurried over to the dining table and peeked at the spread. “Pot roast, ribs, shrimp…”

She had to admit, her grandmother had outdone herself-every dish was one of Effie’s favorites, and each looked absolutely mouthwatering.

It was impressive enough to cook just one of these well, but her grandmother had made them all, and each was perfect.

Lyman watched as Effie dug in with barely a care for appearances and chuckled. “I think I know why your cooking never quite measures up…”

Effie paused, shot him a look, and raised an eyebrow. “Never measures up?”

He quickly corrected himself, “It’s good! Just… not as good as your grandma’s.”

“That’s more like it.” Effie grinned and dug back in.

She knew perfectly well where her culinary skills stood, but she loved teasing Lyman about it-he always played along, which only made it more fun.